When it comes to working retail, Labor Day is, unfortunately, just another Monday for most store employees. BlastPoint’s Map of the Month reveals the number of retail workers residing in just one close-to-the-mall community.
For anyone who’s planning a last-hurrah picnic this Labor Day, don’t forget to say thank-you to the good folks who make our celebrations possible: the retail workers! (Who, we know, are probably going to be stuck at work this holiday weekend.)
In honor of their hard work and dedication, and in honor of what became a national holiday way back in 1894, thanks to President Grover Cleveland and the US Congress, the BlastPoint team wanted to explore who, using our interactive software, unfortunately doesn’t reap the benefit of enjoying Labor Day off.
Thus, we bring you our August 2019 Map of the Month: No Rest For Retail Workers.
When we think about what makes Labor Day so enjoyable for those of us who do get the day off, we think, “Tiki torches! Party lights! Burgers on the grill!”
Thankfully for us, many stores remain open on Labor Day, even if they limit their hours, so that getting all those party supplies is a breeze.
But what about all the cashiers and baggers and stockers and sales associates and floor managers and support staff and back-office workers who have to run the stores so that we can have our fun?
Who are they? How many of them are there? Where do they live?
And how can we show them gratitude for what they do?!
One of our hometown’s most-frequented shopping hubs lies about eight miles north of downtown Pittsburgh: Ross Park Mall in Ross Township, Pennsylvania. It sits atop a hill that overlooks McKnight Road, a 20-mile-long, multi-lane thoroughfare that cuts through the heart of numerous shopping districts and residential communities.
Ross Park Mall itself is home to over 150 stores, not to mention several big box retailers, groceries, and a whole host of restaurants that dot the several meandering roads a person must drive up to reach its hilltop perch.
(According to the mall’s website, they’ll be open for business 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. on Labor Day. That’s a lot of employees staffing those stores!)
We drew a 10-mile-wide circle around the mall and asked our software to tell us how many people, by ZIP code, work in retail and live within that area. We can safely assume those are the folks who’ll be spending long hours behind cash registers at the area’s stores on Labor Day.
The results?
BlastPoint’s tool reveals there are quite a few retail workers in the northern Pittsburgh suburbs.
In McCandless Township alone, shown in dark red on the map, one of the mall’s primary surrounding residential communities, over 2,200 employees work in retail. Those are among the roughly 28K residents who live there total, including children, seniors, and everyone in between.
Looking at the map’s key on the bottom right, notice that a near-equal number of retail workers live in surrounding neighborhoods.
Taking our research outside of the Pittsburgh suburbs for perspective, we learn that there are over 47K shopping centers in the United States. Nationwide, Target stores, for example, employ over 360K people across over 1,800 stores.
That’s a lot of retail workers!
So let’s raise a glass to all of them for the hard work they do, on Labor Day and every day.
May your customers be kind,
Your checkout lines be short,
And your shift end soon!
From all of us here at BlastPoint, we wish everyone a safe and happy Labor Day Weekend!
Other Shopping Centers That’ll Be Open for Business on Labor Day in the Northern Pittsburgh Suburbs:
McIntyre Square – home to six major retailers
The Block Northway – home to nearly 30 retail stores
North Hills Village Mall – home to at least 5 big box anchor stores and dozens of smaller retailers
McCandless Crossing – home to numerous large anchor stores, restaurants, hotels and a movie theater